Studies on aflatoxin resistance in chilli ( Capsicum annuum L.) germplasm

Chilli is rich in vital nutrients with numerous health benefits. Chilli fruits are commonly contaminated by Aspergillus species, which produces aflatoxins. Aflatoxins are highly toxic and carcinogenic mycotoxins. Identification of aflatoxin contamination-resistant sources of chillies is highly preferred to breed new genotypes for cultivation. Hence, 35 chilli genotypes were evaluated at the Mycotoxicology Laboratory of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Patancheru during 2019-20 to estimate their resistance to aflatoxin production. Chilli fruits were artificially inoculated and aflatoxin content was estimated by ELISA technique. A significant amount of genetic variability concerning aflatoxin among the tested genotypes was noticed. Results revealed that the samples were contaminated with aflatoxin B1 to the extent of 40655.55 mu g/kg. Estimates of average aflatoxin from 35 genotypes indicated a high quantity of aflatoxin of 11754.68 mu g/kg. The genotype IC-334383 showed less aflatoxin content (125.25 mu g/kg), which indicates resistance to aflatoxin production, while the genotype EC-402113 showed very high aflatoxin content, i.e ., 40655.55 mu g/kg, which indicates susceptibility to aflatoxin production. The A. flavus resistant germplasm identified in this investigation has the potential for chilli aflatoxin resistance breeding programs.